Barred Owl Strix varia
Case Histories
Case 1:
Barred owl
nestling reunited using nest basket, with an orphaned nestling being added a
week later
Case 2: Nestling Barred Owl reunited to nest
basket in original nest tree. Sibling in shallow nest cavity moved to nest
basket for safety.
Case 3:
Unsuccessful
attempt to reunite brancher found in the road
Case 4: Brancher with minor injuries in Leeds
replaced by orphan brancher from Ohatchee
Case 5:
Orphan nestling
swapped for blind nestling using a nest basket
Case 6:
Hatchling returned
to original nest after crow attack
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| Hatchlings |
Young Nestlings
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| Older Nestlings |
Branchers
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Fledgling |
Species Notes
Barred
Owls are commonly found in deciduous woods along lakes and streams, and more
recently in well-wooded suburban neighborhoods. A medium-sized owl, they are
much less powerful than the Great Horned Owl, and prey types are smaller,
including rodents, some birds, as well as reptiles, and amphibians, insects,
crawfish, crabs, and fish. They hunt by night or day, preferring dawn and dusk.
Barred Owls are most notable for their loud call, which is said to sound like
“who cooks for you, who cooks for you-all”. They show a preference for nesting
in large old deciduous trees, usually in a crotch or cavity. Like most owls,
they are not efficient nest builders, and the young quite often fall because the
cavity is too small or too rotten to provide security. It quite often happens
that the nest is too small or insecure to permit returning a downed juvenile to
the nest. In some cases, it is better to relocate all of the nestlings to the
nest basket, to avoid further mishaps. Like nearly all owls, Barred Owls are
very ready to accept other juveniles in addition to their own. The incubation
period typically is 28 to 33 days. Young nestlings are brooded by the female
for the first two weeks. Self-feeding begins between 2 to 3 weeks after
hatching. Barred Owls begin ‘branching’ at 4 to 5 weeks of age, but actual
flight does not occur until about 10 weeks. The young continue to be fed by
their parents until they are 4 to 5 months old, only dispersing in early fall.
This prolonged period of parental assistance gives wild-raised juveniles a
significant edge over juveniles raised in a flight cage. The ease of reuniting
and fostering makes these alternatives especially desirable for this species.
[1]
Barred Owls respond extremely well to the recorded calls, and Case 1 is a good example of the value of having a recording to bring the adults to a substitute nest in a different location after a separation of almost a week.
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